Clinical Matters Newsletter - March 2025 28 Mar 2025
In this issue...
General Updates
Health Advisory - HIV Awareness
Reference Links
- Body Postive Inc - bodypositive.org.nz/
- Burnett Foundation Aotearoa - www.burnettfoundation.org.nz/
- HIV | NZ STI Guidelines sti.guidelines.org.nz/infections/hiv/
- Needle Exchange Service - www.nznep.org.nz/
- NZSHS PrEP and PEP Guidelines - www.burnettfoundation.org.nz/media/4669/prep-and-pep-guidelines-2023.pdf
- NZSHS - Sexual Health Services in NZ - www.nzshs.org/nz-sexual-health-clinics/
- Postive Women Inc - positivewomen.org.nz/
- Te Taenga Mai - www.tetaengamai.org.nz/
- Toitu Te Ao - www.toituteao.org/
Pathlab - Sample Retention Period
Health Pathways Updates
Kaupapa Māori ACC Navigation
Effective 5 March 2025, a new BPAC eReferral is available for Kaupapa Māori ACC Navigation.
Focus On Potential eReferral
Effective 12 March 2025, an eReferral for Focus On Potential service is available in BPAC for Bay of Plenty, Lakes and Waikato Districts.
Real Whetū Marewa Youth eReferral
Effective from 9 April 2025, an eReferral to the Real Whetū Marewa Youth Community Mobile Mental Health and Addictions Service will be available on BPAC.
New and Updated Health Pathways
Go to HealthPathways Midland https://midland.communityhealthpathways.org for the new and updated pathways below.
- High control group harm, leavers
- Corns and calluses
- WINZ funding
- ACC
- Lactation support
- Lead poisoning
Pharmacy Updates
STALEVO
Prescribe only one tablet per dose
You have probably seen the new funded option for Parkinson’s Disease Stalevo levodopa + carbidopa + entacapone - New Zealand Formulary
There are 4 different funded strengths with increasing levodopa/carbidopa strengths.
Internationally, dispensing issues have arisen when substituting 2x tablets of levodopa 50 mg/carbidopa 12.5 mg/entacapone 200 mg for levodopa 100 mg/carbidopa 25 mg/entacapone 200 mg dose resulting in a double dose of entacapone leading to agitation in patients. We will write to community pharmacists about this but it may be prudent to share this info with your GP colleagues and advise to always prescribe only 1 tablet per dose of Stalevo - as per the advice on the NZF.
DABIGATGRAN
OK for one month in compliance packaging per dose
There is now some limited stability data under NZ conditions to support the packaging of dabigatran into compliance packaging. Stability of the dabigatran significantly declined after 8 weeks so we would recommend that only one month of dabigatran is decanted into compliance packaging in advance. Consider alternative/not compliance packing if patient requires more than a month supply at a time eg travelling.
Ref: Noori Z, Griffiths D, Jung S et al. Improving adherence by investigating the stability of dabigatran outside of the manufacturer’s original packaging: a New Zealand perspective. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery. 24 Dec 2024
For more information contact: Lauren Bradley, Pharmacist - Medication Safety and Clinical Governance